Dodgers notes: Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez

Clayton Kershaw has seen mixed results through his first three starts of the young season, and his outing against the rival Giants proved to be more of a challenge than he envisioned.

Kershaw, who has enjoyed relative success against San Francisco, came into Wednesday’s match with a 1-1 record and a 3.75 ERA after two starts against the Diamondbacks. Immediately out of the gate, Kershaw was rudely greeted by back-to-back singles, which led to the Giants tallying two runs, as he tossed 22 pitches in the opening frame.

Kershaw was able to settle into a nice groove through the remainder of his start, as he would allow just one more run and shut out the Giants through his final four innings. It was also the first time this season that Kershaw managed to reach the 100 pitch threshold, a mark he last achieved back on July 9 of last season against the Chicago Cubs.

For Kershaw, his past start was seen as frustrating, mainly due to his lack of aggressiveness early on, as he noted with reporters after the game, as shown on SportsNet LA:

“I told Mark [Prior], I was being a little soft today. I don’t know what was going on. I was thinking and I wasn’t competing well, so I kind of just flipped the switch and got mad at myself there at the end,” Kershaw said. “I just needed to start pitching better. Just stop thinking, not worrying about how to pitch, and just go pitch. I think sometimes you’ve got to kick yourself a little bit to get going. Tonight, I needed that.”

Links

• Freddie Freeman underwent a rough transition from being the face of the Atlanta Braves to being a cornerstone for the Dodgers. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register provides some insight into how Freeman is acclimating in Los Angeles, and has found himself at home with the Dodgers.
• Noah Camras of Sports Illustrated gives an overview as to how former Dodgers such as Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner are doing with their new teams, and how the Dodgers have been able to consistently cultivate home-grown talent.
• Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic breaks down J.D. Martinez’s ever-evolving swing and how he has become a mentor for the rest of the Dodger hitters.